The Ides of March
by V. L. Thornton
Summary: This is how I imagine Shinichi taking down the B.O. A mysterious girl shows up at the agency and claims to be Shinichi's twin sister. The next day she's arrested for murder. Shinichi turns to Vermouth to help him prove her adopted daughter is innocent only to find himself captured by the B.O.! Can Shinichi escape, save Amaya, and stop the B.O. while keeping his life?
1. Chapter 1

Kudou Shinichi stared at the ceiling of the Mouri Detective Agency.

"Conan-kun, Conan-kun?" said Mouri Ran.

Conan was the name Shinichi had been going by for the past year. After solving a case in Tropical Land he had met two men from a group he called the "Black Organization". They had given Shinichi a poison that was meant to kill him but had instead turned him into a little kid. Now with the help of his fellow detective Hattori Heiji and ex-member of the organization Haibara Ai he was working to destroy the "Black Organization" while staying hidden as Edogawa Conan.

"Yes, Ran-neechan?" Shinichi asked.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"What about..." Shinichi was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Ran, go open the door," said Mouri Kougoro, Ran's father.

"Geez, Dad, do it yourself sometime," Ran said before she opened the door. "Hello. How can we help you?" A girl the same age as Shinichi stepped through the door. She wore a medium length black dress and black flats. Her black hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of her head and her blue eyes were almost grey.

"My name is Kudou Amaya and I need you to find someone," the girl says.

"Who?" Kougoro asked completely awake and taking in the sight of the beautiful young lady.

"Kudou Shinichi," Amaya said as she pulled out a picture of Shinichi that had been in the paper the year before.

"Shinichi? Why do you want to find Shinichi?" Ran asked.

Ayama looked at Ran with eyes like ice as she said, "I think he's my brother."

...

"Shinichi-niichan has a sister?" Shinichi asked. He knew he didn't have a sister. His parents would surely have told him if he did, but still the girl looked a lot like his mother, only taller and with black hair.

Shinichi was so shocked he barely heard Ran say, "Let me call Shinichi. He might be able to see you if he's not to busy with the case he's working."

"Not good," Shinichi thought. He jumped up and went into the restrooms of the agency. He had barely pulled out his bowtie voice changer before his phone was vibrating.

Shinichi answered the phone said, "What's up Ran? I'm kind of busy with a case right now so could you call me later?"

"Sorry Shinichi, but this is kind of important," Ran said.

"Well then hurry up and tell me what's so important so that I can get back to my case."

Ran took a deep breath and said, "There's a girl here at the agency claiming to be your sister. I was wondering if maybe you could come buy and..."

Ran was cut off by Amaya grabbing the phone, "Hi Shinichi. This is Amaya, the girl claiming to be your sister. Really I'm not sure. That's just what I was told. I was hoping we could meet face to face sometime and sort it all out."

"Well right now I'm busy with a case so maybe some other time, sorry," Shinichi said.

"Oh okay I'll be in Japan for a while so just let me know when we can meet."

"Okay then, but will you give the phone back to Ran now, she's probably about ready to kick you." Shinichi said imagining Ran knocking Amaya to the ground with a round house kick. He shuddered.

"Shinichi," Ran said. "When are you coming back?"

Shinichi sighed this was the hardest part of hiding his identity from Ran. She always wondered when he was coming back and never realizing that he was right there.

"I don't know Ran. It might be a while," Shinichi said. Ran sighed and hung up the phone. Shinichi turned off his phone and put it and his bowtie away before leaving the restrooms.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Amaya-neechan, if your Shinichi's sister how come you weren't raised with him?" Shinichi asked.

"Conan-kun," Ran scolded. "You shouldn't ask people those kinds of questions."

"It's okay Ran," Amaya said. She walked over to Shinichi and kneeled down in front of him. "I don't mind answering. I was taken from the hospital and adopted. My adopted mother raised me in America."

"Who is your adopted mother?" Shinichi asked.

Amaya shook her head as she said, "A secret makes a woman, woman."

Shinichi's eyes grew wide. There were only two woman he knew that said that phrase, FBI Agent Jodie Starling and member of the "Black Organization" Vermouth. Shinichi was certain that Jodie-sensei would not have kept it secret if she had a daughter, and he was certain Vermouth didn't have any children either. Yet something about Amaya wasn't right.

"Um, Amaya-san," Ran said. "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"Oh, it was my adopted mother's favorite phrase. She would say it when she didn't want to answer someone's question. I guess I just picked up on it," Amaya said shrugging. "But I guess now that Shinichi is going to come I don't need you to find him, Mouri-sensei." Kougoro sighed and hung his head.

"Ran-neechan?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes, Conan-kun?"

"I'm supposed to pick up my detective badge from Professor Agasa. Is it okay if I go now to get it?"

"Sure. Just be back before dinner, okay?"

"Sure," Shinichi said. He grabbed his motorized skateboard and headed for the door. Before he left he snapped a picture of Amaya to show Haibara. Shinichi closed the door and headed down the stairs. At the bottom he set down his skateboard and headed towards Professor Agasa's house.

...

"Hey Professor," Shinichi asked, "do I have a sister?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?" Haibara asked Shinichi not looking up from her fashion magazine.

"Because," Shinichi said pulling out his phone and showing her the picture of Amaya, "This girl showed up at the agency claiming to be my sister."

Haibara looked up at the phone and her eyes went wide. She yelled, "Brandy?!"

Shinichi took a step back. "Brandy?" he asked. "What do you mean by Brandy?" He was shaking and had barely managed to speak.

"I mean that the most dangerous member of the Organization is currently in the agency," Haibara said.

"Why is she so dangerous?" Shinichi said after sitting down.

Haibara looked Shinichi in the eye before saying, "She was raised by Vermouth and trained by Gin."

"Gin?!" Shinichi yelled standing up quickly. "Why Gin?"

"Brandy was trained to be extremely deadly. She often visited me in my lab. She was smart. Even more so than you, Kudou-kun," Haibara said.

"So that's how you know her," Shinichi said. "Because she would visit you."

"No," Haibara said. "I know Brandy because I grew up with her in America."

"But Vermouth was her mother?" Shinichi asked.

"No. Brandy was stolen from a hospital here in Tokyo. Her parents were told she died," Haibara said. "There is a chance she's your sister. It's pretty high actually. You both have the same birthday."

Shinichi grabbed his phone and started punching in a phone number.

"What are you doing, Kudou-kun?" Haibara asked.

"I'm getting answer," Shinichi said. "Mom? I have a question."

"What is it Shin-chan?" asked Shinichi's mother on the other line.

Shinichi took a deep breath before asking, "Do I have a twin sister?"

There was long pause before his mother said, "Yes, Shin-chan, you do."

"What?! Why didn't you ever tell me?" Shinichi asked.

"We wanted to your father and I just couldn't find the right time to do it. She died soon after birth, so it just didn't seem to matter."

"Mom," Shinichi said. "What was her name?"

"Amaya. We named her Amaya." Shinichi was so shocked that he almost dropped his phone.

"Mom, Amaya didn't die."

"What do you mean Shin-chan? We buried her how is she not dead?"

"Would she be standing in the agency if she were dead?"


	3. Chapter 3

After the phone call with his mother Shinichi went back to the agency. He entered to find Amaya and Ran looking through an old photo album.

"What are you doing Ran-neechan?" Shinichi asked.

"We're looking at pictures of Shinichi when he was younger," Amaya said. "You two look identical. It's almost like you're the same person."

Shinichi laughed and thought, "That's because we are."

The sound of a flute suddenly flooded the air. "Oops. That's my phone," Amaya said. "Hello? Oh, Mama. Did Moishe get into trouble again? Okay I'll be home right away. No, Mama, I haven't seen your car keys jeez. Anyway I'll be right there, bye-bye." She hung up the phone. "Sorry Ran-san I have to go, my cat got in a fight."

"That's okay Amaya-san I'll see you tomorrow," Ran said. Amaya nodded and walked out the door.

"Hey, Ran-neechan? Why will you be seeing Amaya-neechan tomorrow?" Shinichi asked.

"Because, kid," Kougoro answered. "Amaya-chan goes to Teitan High School now."

"Oh," Shinichi said.

...

The next morning arrived, but Amaya never showed up.

"That's strange," Ran said. "Amaya-san said she'd meet me here and we'd go to school together."

"Maybe she forgot," said Suzuki Sonoko, Ran's best friend. "It happens sometimes."

"Maybe."

Ran and Sonoko headed for school Shinichi in tow.

"Is Amaya-san really Shinichi-kun's sister?" Sonoko asked.

"Shinichi called last night to say its true."

"Oh," Sonoko said l. "Say, Ran, did you hear about the serial killer?"

"Of course," Ran said nodding. "Dad has been stressed out over it. He said that Megure-kebu won't let him help. Hey look it's on the news." All three of them looked at the T.V. screens that were on display in a shop window.

"According to Megure-kebu the police believe they found the serial murderer, surprisingly she is a young girl who had just transferred to Teitan High School," the reporter said. "Her name is Kudou Amaya."

"No way, Amaya-san?!" Ran and Sonoko yelled together. Shinichi had barely looked at the T.V. screen before running to the police station. Once he got there he headed straight for division one.

"Conan-kun?" Takagi-kagi asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Did Amaya-neechan really kill those people?" Shinichi asked.

"Yes, but wait you know her?!"

"She's Shinichi-niichan's twin."

"Twin?!" Takagi yelled. "Follow me Conan-kun. Maybe you can help us with something."

"Okay," Shinichi said. He followed Takagi to the questioning room.

"In here Conan-kun," said Takagi-kagi as he opened the door. "We can watch the interrogation from in here." Shinichi followed Takagi into the room. In the middle was a table with a computer and headphones set up. On the wall was a window that showed them the other, adjoining room where Megure was interrogating Amaya. Shinichi picked up the headphones and began to listen.

"What is your name?" Megure asked Amaya.

"Kudou Amaya," Amaya replied coolly.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Do you have any family?"

"Biological or adopted?"

"Either."

"My biological family is Kudo Yusako, Yukiko, and Shinichi. My adopted mother I am going to keep a secret."

Megure sighs before saying, "As I said last time keeping this a secret isn't going to help your cause as for whether or not you really are related to Shinichi-kun that remains to ne seen." A beep. "Oh, Takagi-kun. What did you find out?"

Takagi spoke into the mic on the table, "Actually kebu Amaya-san is Shinichi-kun's twin sister. I had it confirmed by his mother just now."

"All right, but we still need the name of your adopted mother," Megure said.

Amaya just shook her head and said, "A secret makes a woman, woman."

"Fine we'll just come back to that one. Where were you the night of March first?"

"Working."

"Where do you work."

"Secret."

Megure sighed, but continued the questions, "Where were you the night of March third?"

"The library."

"You didn't show up on the video feed."

"Maybe I wasn't myself that day." Shinichi was surprised. Could she disguise herself like Vermouth? It would make sense.

"Say Takagi-kagi?" Shinichi asked. "Can I see the video surveillance from the library?"

"Sure."

For the next few hours Shinichi watched the videos over and over trying to find any clue. Then he spotted it.

"Takagi-kagi, could you zoom in there?" Shinichi asked. Takagi zoomed in on one of the visitors. I knew it. Shinichi thought.


	4. Chapter 4

When Megure finished the interrogation two officers entered the room and escorted Amaya out. It was then that Shinichi realized that she was wearing a prison jumpsuit and handcuffs.

"Say Takagi-kagi," Shinichi said. "Why is Amaya-neechan in handcuffs? Wasn't she just being questioned?"

"No Conan-kun," Takagi said. "She did it  
She was caught on security cameras the night of the last murder."

"Oh," Shinichi said. "Can I talk to her?"

"Oh well," Takagi said. "Come in on Saturday. That's visitors day. You can see her then."

"Okay. Thanks Takagi-kagi," Shinichi said.

...

Saturday came and Shinichi was waiting in the visitors room. Two guards came in and escorted Amaya over to where he sat.

"So, why did the great Edogawa Conan come to visit me in this lowly prison?" Amaya asked. Shinichi dismissed the guards.

"Because," he said. "I want to know why Gin framed you for his murders."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure it was Gin?"

"You're not going to ask how I know you work with him?"

"I have my guesses."

"Well Brandy I have mine as well."

"Let me guess," Amaya said. "Sherry told you my code name after you showed her the picture you took. Oh wait that's right, she goes by Haibara Ai now doesn't she, Shinichi?"

Shinichi was shocked. Surely Vermouth wouldn't have told her who he was.

"No, Vermouth didn't tell me," Amaya said. "I was with Irish when he matched your finger prints. You see I was HIS favorite."

"Gin?"

Amaya laughed, "No. Gin hates me. I've always been better than him."

"Then who's favorite were you? Rum's?"

"Secret."

"Fine. But you haven't answered my question. Why did Gin frame you for his murders?"

"I killed those people Shinichi," Amaya said. "Even if I wasn't the one to pull the trigger. Now you should go. My trials in a few hours. Feel free to watch."

...

Shinichi didn't watch the trial. He already knew the charge. They'd find her guilty, and sentence her to life in prison. So instead of going to the trial Shinichi started his own investigation.

He started by calling Akai Shuichi. The FBI sniper was a valuable player in the game. Then he and Amuro helped him make contact with Vermouth.

"Well, well, Cool Guy," Vermouth said her long blonde hair pulled into a braid that fell over her shoulder. "How can I be of assistance?"

"Amaya-san," Shinichi said. "She's innocent and we both know it. I need your help to prove it."

"Why should I help her?" Vermouth asked. "Why should you help her?"

"You know why."

"I really would like to help, but Gin has been on my tail a lot lately. Can you make it worth it?"

"How?"

"I need you to promise me that Amaya-chan will be safe after you take us down."

"I can do that."

"No. Not protected by you."

"Why not?"

"Because bullets don't make it out of thick wood. Not even the Silver ones."


	5. Chapter 5

That night Shinichi had a nightmare.

He was walking down a dirt path in the middle of the night when suddenly the trees wilted and the sky turned red. He looked around. In place of the dead trees were now all of his friend, hanging from gallows. A laugh filled the air. Shinichi turned around and looked for what had made the noise. And then he saw it. A man with long silver hair and a cigar between his teeth. He stood by one of the gallows however the person on the gallows wasn't a friend of Shinichi's it was Shinichi.

Gin laughed again. "Didn't Vermouth tell you?" he crowed. "Even you won't make it out alive." Gin lunged for Shinichi who turned and ran past the gallows. First his then Heiji, Kazuha, Ran, Kougoro, Ayumi, Genta, Mitsiko, Ai, Agasa, his parents, Sera, Akai, Amuro, and finally all of the officers. Amaya, Shinichi figured, wasn't there because she would be one of them again.

Shinichi ran farther than he had ever run before. Gin pulled out a hand gun and began to shoot at him. Bullet after bullet was shot at him, but none managed to hit him. Suddenly blood flooded his vision however the blood was not his own. Then Shinichi woke up, screaming.

...

"Conan-kun?" Ran asked the next morning. "Conan-kun?"

"Yes, Ran-neechan?"

"Are you still going to the professor's house?"

"Yep."

"Even with your cold?"

"I'll be okay, Ran-neechan," Shinichi told her. A coughing bout came over him. "I'll wear a mask." Ran looked worried, but Shinichi didn't care. He had finally decided to do it, now was the time to take out the organization, now while their attention was on Amaya and not on him.

...

Shinichi headed in the direction that would take him to Agasa's house, but as soon as he was out of Ran's sight he turned the opposite way and headed towards an abandoned warehouse. There he would meet Vermouth, and there he would end things.

When Vermouth saw Shinichi she beckoned for him to follow her. He did. She led him behind a stack of boxes.

"I'm really sorry about this Cool Guy," she said.

"Sorry about what?" Shinichi asked.

"This," said a voice from behind him. Shinichi tried to turn around to face Gin, but instead he felt a rush of electricity right before losing consciousness.

...

Three hours went by and Ran decided to check in with Professor Agasa.

"Hey, hakase. How is Conan-kun doing?" she asked him over the phone.

"What do you mean?" he replied puzzled. "Conan-kun never came over. He told me his cold had gotten worse and he'd have to cancel."

"What?!" Ran yelled "Then where is he?"

Haibara grabbed the phone from Agasa. "Ran. Listen to me," she said abandoning all childish acting from her voice.

"Ai-chan."

"Ran, I need you to tell me when Edogawa-kun left your house."

"Three hours ago."

"Darn it. All right Hakase and I will be over there soon. Call the police."

"Why?"

"Because if you don't Edogawa-kun may not come back alive."

...

Haibara followed Shinichi's trail to the warehouse. There she found the tire tracks of Gin's car. "Hakase," she said. "I need you to take me somewhere. Now."

...

"Well, now this is a surprise," said the person on the other side of the metal bars. "Why'd you come, Sherry? Did my brother ask you to question me for him?"

"No, Kudou-kun doesn't know I'm here," Haibara said. "Gin kidnapped him."

"Funny that's not normally his style."

"Neither is framing someone for murder."

"Mine is a special case."

"Whatever. I need you to tell me where they took him."

"Since when do adults tell little children their secrets?"

"Cut the crap."

"Fine. They probably took him to your lab," Amaya said. "The one where you made that shrinking drug."


	6. Chapter 6

Shinichi woke up groggy. His neck felt sore, his head was pounding, and his arms and legs felt majorly bruised. His vision was dark and it took Shinichi a few seconds to realize that was because he was blindfolded. He then noticed that his mouth was gagged and his arms were tied together and to his chest and that his legs were tied together as well.

Crap, Shinichi thought. Now what am I going to do?

He tried turning his head but felt a such a sharp pain that he almost blacked out. A door opened nearby and the sound of metal boots on stone flooring entered the room.

"I see you're awake, Mr. Detective," said a cold voice. "It's no use trying to escape. This laboratory is more secure than a prison. If you resist you will die, along with everyone that had anything to do with you." Shinichi shuddered at the thought of his friends dying. He tried to talk to the mystery man only to remember that he was gagged.

"Oh thats right. You must have many things you want to ask me. Like who I am, perhaps?" the man said. "Unfortunately I am unable to remove your gag so that you can ask your many questions. I know I'll simply tell you everything." Shinichi was shocked. This strange man, a criminal no less, was talking to Shinichi like they were best friends. "My code-name is Rum, I assume your familiar with the name?" Shinichi nodded. Hairbara had told him about Rum shortly after they met. All that anyone knew about him was that he had a false eye. Some rumors told him as an old man, however based on his voice Shinichi thought he was around thirty.

Rum began to speak again, "A friend of mine started this organization many years ago. Thanks to the technology that we have created both he and I were able to stay young over the past century and remain at the heart of our work.

"Our purpose is to create a new world where all people are equal and united. Mankind had been separated for far too long and now is the time ti bring it back together. You will help us achieve our goals, Kudou Shinichi. You will become one of us. We merely have to break you."

Shinichi froze. This was like his nightmare. He knew that if resisted Ran and everyone else he held dear would cease to exist, however if he gave in the world as he knew it would be destroyed before his very eyes.

"I don't expect you to follow us without complaint, in fact your spirit is part of the reason we want you so badly. My partner believes that all we have to do is change your spirit to fit our needs," Rum said. "I hope you're stronger than you look, otherwise we might just break you." He laughed as though what he had just said was the funniest joke in the world and then left the room closing the door behind him.

...

Shinichi had no idea how long he was left in the room for. He flitted in and out of consciousness. While he was awake his thoughts were filled with Ran. While he was asleep he dreamt of a faceless woman dying in front of him.

His only relief was when his door was opened and Vermouth entered the room. Even though she said nothing Shinichi could feel it was her. She walked over to the corner where Shinichi was comfined and removed his gag. Shinichi tried to speak but found that his voice was gone. He must have lost it after screaming from the nightmares.

Vermouth sat down and began to spoon tasteless soup into Shinichi's mouth. He was so hungry and tired that he allowed the treatment even though he wanted reject the slop with every fiber of his being.

"I'm sorry, Cool Guy," Vermouth said. "But this treatment is a lot better than it could be. Most people would have been used as test subjects for deadly drugs."

Shinichi tested his voice and then said, "Something tells me that in a few days I'll wish I were dead."

"That may be true. Our scientists were quite glad when we brought you in. They're eager to do testing on you. They want to know just how that drug made you shrink. So if I were you I'd be preparing for weeks of pure torture. Oh and just so you know you've now been our guest here for three days."


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys. I know it's been awhile since I last wrote, and I figured that it was driving you all insane. I've been really busy and couldn't figure out to get this next xhapter out there. But I put my fingers to the keyboard and now here it is, Chapter 7. I hope you like it and please comment. Also I forgot to do this earlier so:_

 _Disclaimer I do not own either the anime or manga Detective Conan._

 _..._

So much time passed that Shinichi started relying on Vermouth's few visits to keep track of time. If she was to be trusted nine days had passed away since he was kidnapped. When Vermouth came the fourth time she didn't bring any food. Instead she came with a chain and shackles that attached to Shinichi's ankles, and then to the wall.

Once Vermouth was sure that Shinichi was secure she removed his gag, blindfold, and and the bindings that kept him on the bed.

"Are you sure that you want to do that?" Shinichi asked. "I might try to escape."

"Only if you want your girlfriend to die."

"What did you doto Ran?"

"Nothing really, we just made sure that her Sensei was, how should I say it, up to standard," Vermouth said. "So long as you comply to our demands, Angel-chan will stay in one peice. However if you refuse, she'll be the first to greet you on the other side." Shinichi went limp and his mouth hung open. All he could think about was his dream. Was the woman who died Ran? Surely it couldn't be.

"Well, we won't ask anything of you yet. We just need you in top condition." Vermouth turned around and left the cell. Once the door closed Shinichi started looking around at his surroundings. Might as well get comfy, I'm gonna be here for a while."

...

"Ran, Ran, Ran wake up," Haibara said. They'd been looking for Shinichi for almost two weeks and hadn't been able to find a single clue. "Ran please, you've been sleeping for almost twelve hours."

Ran opened her eyes and blinked at the bright light above her head. "Ai-chan."

"Finally. I think I might have found something." Ran was puzzled. Haibara had been acting more and more like an adult than a seven year old girl.

"Ai-chan are you in love with Conan-kun?" she asked still half asleep.

"Baka. He's too infatuated with you, so even if I felt for him that way Kudou-kun would never return my feelings," Haibara said.

"Did you just say Kudou-kun, Ai-chan?"

"Yes, I did."

"But we were talking about Conan-kun."

"They're the same person, Baka."

"Haha, you're funny Ai-chan, really funny," Ran said as her eyes closed.

"Baka, just hurry and wake up already. You've been acting like this for days," Haibara said as she pulled a blanket over Ran's shoulders. "When I find him I'm going to punch that fool in the face so hard he won't be able to see straight. What's he thinking leaving Ran alone like that. It's starting to drive her insane."

...

Takagi looked into the cell in front of him. Inside was Kudou Amaya sitting curled up on one side of the otherwise bare cot. Her cold eyes stared into Takagi's.

"What do you want?" she asked him with annoyance in her voice.

"Someone came to visit."

"Oh? Who is it? Haibara-chan, Ran-san, or maybe, someone else."

"He claimed to be your boss."

"Oh, alright then. I'll go meet him. I haven't seen him in a while after all," Amaya said. "It should be quite interesting."


	8. Chapter 8

_I'm so sorry for not updating. Finals were a mess, and then I was super busy, and anyways since I am now on Summer break I will be writing way more often, so please check every day for new updates-at the very least every Saturday. I appreciate the support of all of my readers, so please R and R! Now without further adue, the story._

 _..._

Amaya looked at the glass partition that separated her from her visitor. On the outside they appeared to be an over weight, fifty year old man w yellowed teeth from a terrible smoking habit, a grisly beard, and greasy hair that sat in a tangled mess on top of his head. However Amaya knew that underneath the gastly suit and tie, was her adopted mother, Vermouth also known as Sharron Vineyard.

Amaya leaned back in her metal chair, placed her feet on the "table", and folded her arms behind her head. She recognized Vermouth's disguise and said, "What brings you to my humble abode, Yamamoto-sama?" She smirked at the name and sat forward placing her hands on the "table" with her fingers crossed in a "professional" manner. "Are you here to scoff?"

"What kind of employer would I be if I didn't come to see my subordinate when she's in trouble?" Vermouth said. "I was even tempted to bring a bottle of _Gin_ for you to try."

"Of course you were, but then, that wouldn't be very fair for the three officers outside would it?" Amaya said laughing. "Besides I'm underage, and I really don't want to stay here any longer than I have to."

Vermouth dropped her voice and said, "Well then I have good news, you won't be here for much longer."

"Ooh," Amaya said interested, "How much longer are we talking?"

Vermouth smiled before saying, "Lets say twenty minutes, give or take a few." Amaya leaned back in her seat and smirked at the officers who came in to get her. Her body burst with excitement at the scene she knew would soon unfold.

...

Shinichi tossed and turned on his cot. Sweat poured from his skin in droves. "No, no, no!" he woke up with a start and stared at his hands. "This is driving me nuts!" Shinichi cried into the empty space. He pivoted about ninety degrees and stood up from the cot. He paced around the cell staying in the limited space that his chain allowed.

"Almost like a rabid dog in a cage, huh Shinichi-kun?" Shinichi turned and found himself face to face with Rum. He was tall, roughly 175 centimeters, and sturdily built. An eye patch covered his useless eye while his remaining, muddy brown, eye stared at the chain connecting Shinichi to the cell wall. He wore a black suit with a bright blue tie and pink and yellow striped socks. Shinichi found himself staring dumbfounded at the socks.

"Their interesting huh?" Rum said laughing with his burly hands on his hips. "They're quite popular in America right now, so I thought I'd try them out. They are surprisingly comfortable despite how thin they are, it's amazing!"

"I'm sure it is," Shinichi said breathlessly. In front of him stood the right hand man of the leader of _the_ most dangerous organization in the world, and he was laughing about socks! He should have been terrified, but instead Shinichi was baffled. "Who is this guy?" he wondered.

Rum suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Shinichi seriously. "I'm sorry to spring this on you Shinichi-kun, but I need you to sit on the cot. Shinichi eyed his captor warily before following his instructions. Rum opened the door to the cell and ushered in three scientists, two of whom were pushing a gurney. "Now then Shinichi-kun, please lie down on this." Shinichi stood and did as he was told. His entire body seemed to shake with fear, fear out of the lack of knowledge as to what was coming next. Two of the scientists secured Shinichi's arms and legs to the gurney while the third removed his chain. Once they were sure that he was secure they wheeled him out of the dark cell and into a brightly lit hallway.

...

Ran woke up and looked around her. Sitting next to her completely absorbed by the records she was reading, was Ai.

"Ai-chan?" Ran said.

No reply.

"Ai-chan?"

Ai looked at Ran briefly before turning back to her file and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's just we're looking for Conan-kun, so why are we searching through Shinichi's case files?" Ran asked the seven year-old girl.

Ai sighed, put down the file she was reading, and turned to face Ran. "Are you half asleep?" she asked suddenly.

Ran pinched her cheek and then said, "If I was I'm not now."

Ai nodded and took at deep breath before asking, "When did you meet Edogawa-kun?"

"The night..." Ran paused as realization washed over her. "The night Shinichi disappeared." She looked at Ai and said, "But there's no way, I mean Conan and Shinichi were in the same room during my school play, so they couldn't possibly be the same person!"

"I gave Edogawa-kun a temporary cure so that he could turn back into Kudou-kun, and then dressed up as Edogawa-kun."

"Cure?"

"The night you went to Tropical-Land Kudou-kun ran into a pair of criminals. They forced him into taking a pill that was supposed to kill him. Instead it... well you know the results."

"No way. Conan-kun and Shinichi..., but wait, I don't understand how is it that you knew the cure?" Ran said still struggling to process the information.

"I made the pill. My real name is Miyano Shiho, and I'm an eighteen year old scientist." Ai said. "I was sick of being held against my will and forced into making the drug, and my sister's death was the last the straw. I took the poison myself hoping to die and when I shrunk instead I ran."

"So you knew the cure, because you made the poison?"

"Sort of. Kudou-kun was the one who figured out what base of the cure was, and I've just been trying to make a cure based on that."

"Ai, no, Shiho-chan, why didn't you tell me? I could have helped," Ran said with tears forming in her eyes. "Why didn't Shinichi trust me?"

"He wanted to tell you, Ran. He almost did so many times, but he knew that if he did and the organization that's after us found him, they would kill all of you. Kudou-kun couldn't bring himself to you in that kind of danger. He would rather see you live a life without him, than live his own life knowing that he had caused the death of the woman he loves most in the world."


End file.
